Apple Mail: The Complete Guide for Mac and iPhone

Apple Mail is the free email app built into every Mac, iPhone and iPad. It works with iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and any IMAP or Exchange account. This guide links our step-by-step articles on setting up accounts, fixing Mail when it stops sending, receiving or opening, customizing how it looks, and organizing and searching your mail. Each section gives the short answer first and links to the full guide. Steps are checked against macOS 27 and iOS 27.

• Set up Apple Mail
• Fix Mail on Mac
• Fix Mail on iPhone
• Customize Mail
• Organize and search
• Privacy and security
• When Apple Mail isn't enough
• FAQ

First things to try when Mail on your Mac misbehaves

1. Quit Mail and restart the Mac. If Mail is frozen, press Option-Command-Esc and force quit it.
2. Look for a warning symbol or lightning bolt next to the account in the sidebar, then choose Window > Connection Doctor to see which server Mail can't reach.
3. Rebuild the mailbox that's acting up: select it, then choose Mailbox > Rebuild.
4. Check the account in Mail > Settings > Accounts, including the password under Server Settings.
5. Start the Mac in safe mode to see whether other software is getting in the way.
6. Install the latest macOS update in System Settings > General > Software Update.

Set up Apple Mail

On a Mac, add accounts in Mail > Settings > Accounts, or choose Mail > Add Account. Pick your provider (iCloud, Google, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo and others) and sign in, or choose Other Mail Account and enter the server details yourself. See how to set up Apple Mail on a Mac.

On iPhone and iPad, accounts live in Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts; see how to add an email account to iPhone, change your email password on iPhone or remove an email account from iPhone, and our iPhone Mail guide for the rest.

Fix Apple Mail on Mac

Start with the six first steps above. They fix many common problems. If one symptom keeps coming back, find it below.

Mail won't open, crashes or quits

If Mail doesn't open, bounces in the Dock or stops responding, the cause is often a damaged Mail database, a VPN or security app, or very low disk space. See Mail not opening or not working.

If Mail opens and then quits, turn off its extensions in Mail > Settings > Extensions, update macOS and disable accounts one at a time to find the one that triggers it. See Mail keeps crashing or quitting.

New mail isn't arriving

If the inbox looks frozen, choose Mailbox > Get All New Mail and check the account's status icon. If one account is stuck, rebuilding its inbox with Mailbox > Rebuild often gets it moving again. See inbox not updating.

If messages reach your webmail but never show up in Mail, check that the account is enabled, that the password is current, and that a rule or the junk filter isn't moving them. See Mac Mail not receiving emails.

Mail won't send

When Mail can't send, the cause is usually the outgoing (SMTP) server: a changed password, a setting that's wrong or a provider limit. Check Mail > Settings > Accounts > Server Settings. See Mac Mail not sending emails.

A message Mail couldn't send waits in the Outbox, which only appears in the sidebar when a send has failed. Fix the cause, then send it again or drag it to Drafts. See emails stuck in the Outbox.

Connection and password errors

If Mail says it can't connect, test the connection in Window > Connection Doctor and check for a VPN or firewall. See Mail can't connect to the server.

If Mail rejects a password you know is right, your provider may want an app-specific password or a fresh sign-in. See "unable to verify account name or password".

Search, images and attachments

If search misses messages you know exist, Mail's index is usually the problem. Rebuilding the mailbox or letting Mail reindex fixes most cases. See Mail search not working.

If pictures in emails show as blank boxes, check Mail's privacy settings and whether a VPN or content blocker is stopping remote images. See images not loading in Mail.

If an attachment is missing or shows only as an icon, the message may not have finished downloading, or the attachment may be shown inline. See attachments not showing.

Fix Mail on iPhone

Most iPhone Mail problems come down to fetch settings, a changed password or an account that needs to be added again. Our iPhone Mail guide covers setup, settings and the most common fixes.

If new mail only appears when you open the app, see iPhone not getting emails.

Since iOS 18, Mail's settings sit in Settings > Apps > Mail; see where iPhone Mail settings are.

For a message that won't send, see email stuck in the Outbox on iPhone, and if Mail keeps closing, see Mail crashing on iPhone.

Customize Apple Mail

Writing

Signatures are set up in Mail > Settings > Signatures, and each account can have its own. See email signature in Mac Mail.

Mail has no template library, but you can reuse a saved message as a starting point. See email templates in Apple Mail.

Fonts and text sizes are set in Mail > Settings > Fonts & Colors. See fonts and text size.

Layout

The sidebar holds your mailboxes and Favorites, and you can add a mailbox to Favorites with Mailbox > Add Favorite Mailbox. See the Mail sidebar and Favorites.

Choose View > Customize Toolbar to add, remove or reorder buttons. See the Mail toolbar.

View > Use Column Layout switches the message list to columns, and Mail > Settings > Viewing sets how many preview lines each message shows. See view options and the preview pane.

Mail > Settings > Viewing also controls which header fields Mail shows, and View > Message > All Headers shows everything, including the routing details. See how to show full email headers.

Mail follows the Mac's light or dark appearance. In dark mode, "Use dark backgrounds for messages" in the Viewing settings decides whether messages turn dark too. See dark mode in Mail.

Shortcuts, swipes and alerts

To give a Mail command its own shortcut, add it in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > App Shortcuts, using the menu command's exact name. See Mac Mail keyboard shortcuts.

On iPhone, Settings > Apps > Mail > Swipe Options chooses what a left or right swipe does. See swipe actions.

Mail's "New message notifications" setting picks which messages alert you, and System Settings > Notifications > Mail sets how. See Mail notifications.

Flags come in seven colors, and View > Highlight Conversations tints threads so they stand out. See color-coding messages.

Apple Mail has no option to request a read receipt. See read receipts in Apple Mail for what does and doesn't work.

Organize and search

Type in the search field in the Mail toolbar and Mail suggests matches by category, such as Subject or Attachments. Each filter you add narrows the results, and AND, OR and NOT work in capitals. See advanced search in Apple Mail.

A Smart Mailbox is a saved search: it shows every message that matches your rules without moving anything. Create one with Mailbox > New Smart Mailbox. See Smart Mailboxes.

Message > Flag marks a message in one of seven colors, and adding a sender to VIPs gives their mail its own mailbox. See flags and VIPs.

Message > Archive moves a message out of the inbox into the account's Archive mailbox instead of the Trash, so you can still find it later. See archive vs delete.

View > Sort By changes the order of the message list, and View > Organize by Conversation groups replies together. See sort and group messages.

Message > Remind Me sets a reminder for an email: in an hour, tonight, tomorrow or at a time you pick. See Remind Me (snooze).

The Mac version of Mail has no pin command, so flags, VIPs and Favorites do that job there. See how to pin an email.

For mailing lists, Mail offers Unsubscribe when you Control-click the message. See unsubscribe in Mail.

Undo Send gives you 10 seconds by default to take a message back, and Mail > Settings > Composing > Undo send delay changes that. After it's sent, it can't be recalled. See how to unsend an email.

Mail Drop sends attachments too large for your provider through iCloud. Files are kept for up to 30 days and don't count against your iCloud storage. Scheduled messages wait in the Send Later mailbox, and rules that file mail for you are in Mail > Settings > Rules.

Privacy and security

Mail's junk filter lives in Mail > Settings > Junk Mail. You can have it mark junk and leave it in your inbox, or move it to the Junk mailbox once you trust it. See junk mail filter in Mac Mail.

Mail Privacy Protection, in Mail > Settings > Privacy > Protect Mail Activity, hides your IP address and loads remote content privately, so senders find it harder to tell when you opened their email.

Mail can sign and encrypt messages with certificates (S/MIME), but it has no PGP support of its own. See PGP encryption on iPhone and Mac.

When Apple Mail isn't enough

For one or two personal accounts, Apple Mail does the job, and it costs nothing. People start looking elsewhere when they hit its limits:

• Mail on iPhone can't create rules for Gmail, Outlook or other accounts. Only iCloud Mail has rules there, set in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Mail > iCloud Mail Rules.
• When search breaks, the fix is a rebuild or a reindex that can take hours on a big mailbox.
• There's no shared inbox, so a team can't work through one mailbox together.
• Apple Mail only runs on Apple devices, which matters if you also use Windows or Android.

If those sound familiar, start with our list of Apple Mail alternatives. For a single platform, see the best email apps for iPhone and the best email clients for Mac.

If you're weighing one app against another, we compare Apple Mail vs Gmail, Apple Mail vs Outlook, Apple Mail vs Spark and Apple Mail vs Mimestream. People also mix up the app and the service, which Apple Mail vs iCloud Mail untangles. For drafting and summarizing help, see our roundup of AI in Apple Mail.

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail, which works with the same accounts on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android, with AI drafting and summaries on paid plans; it's one of the options in those lists.

Sources

• Apple: Mail User Guide for Mac (macOS 27)
• Apple: iPhone User Guide (iOS 27)
• Apple: If you can't send or receive email on Mac
• Apple: If you can't send email on your iPhone or iPad
• Apple: Delete built-in Apple apps from your iPhone or iPad
• Apple: Find out which macOS your Mac is using
• Apple: Use iCloud Mail rules in Mail on iPhone (iOS 27)
• Apple: iCloud Mail server settings for other email apps

FAQ

Is Apple Mail free?

Yes. Mail is built into macOS, iOS and iPadOS, and there's nothing to buy or subscribe to. You only need an email account, such as iCloud, Gmail or Outlook.

Does Apple Mail work on Windows or Android?

No. Apple Mail runs only on Mac, iPhone and iPad. To read iCloud Mail on a Windows PC or an Android phone, sign in at icloud.com in a web browser, or add the account to another email app with Apple's iCloud Mail server settings.

What's the difference between Apple Mail and iCloud Mail?

Apple Mail is the app; iCloud Mail is Apple's email service, with @icloud.com addresses. You can use Apple Mail with iCloud Mail, Gmail, Outlook or any other account. See Apple Mail vs iCloud Mail.

Can I use Gmail or Outlook in Apple Mail?

Yes. On a Mac, choose Mail > Add Account and pick Google or Microsoft Exchange. On iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts > Add Account and type your address. See how to set up Apple Mail.

Why is Apple Mail not working?

Restart Mail and the Mac, check the account's status icon and Connection Doctor, rebuild the mailbox, check Mail > Settings > Accounts, test in safe mode and update macOS. If one symptom remains, the Fix Mail on Mac section above links to a guide for each.

Can Apple Mail filter email with rules?

On a Mac, yes: rules that file, flag or move mail for you are in Mail > Settings > Rules. On iPhone, only iCloud Mail accounts can have rules, set in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Mail > iCloud Mail Rules; they can move, delete, forward or mark mail as read.

Is Apple Mail or Gmail better?

It depends on what you use. Apple Mail handles several accounts from different providers on Apple devices. The Gmail app and website work best with Gmail itself and run on any device. See Apple Mail vs Gmail.